The CB Radio Talk Forum

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The CB Radio Talk Forum

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Last edited by Bozo on Tuesday, 17 October 2006, 20:27 PM, edited 1 time in total.

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The pioneer nonpareil of wireless telecommunications is Al Gross. In 1938, he invented the walkie-talkie. In 1948, he pioneered Citizens' Band (CB) radio. In 1949, he invented the telephone pager. His other inventions include the basics of cordless and cellular telephony.

Gross was born in Toronto in 1918, but grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. He discovered his lifelong enthusiasm for radio on a steamboat trip on Lake Erie at age 9, after the ship's radio operator let him listen to the wireless. By age 12, Gross had turned his basement into a radio headquarters, with equipment patched together from junkyards. At age 16, he obtained his amateur radio license — still in effect today.

Gross' interest and ability had increased by the time he entered the BSEE program at Cleveland's Case School of Applied Sciences (now part of Case Western Reserve University) in 1936. Determined to exploit the unexplored frequencies above 100 MHz, Gross set about inventing a mobile, lightweight, hand-held two-way radio. In two years, Gross had invented and patented the "walkie-talkie" (1938).

At that time, the Communications Group of the US Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was eager to develop a portable, two-way, air-to-ground communications system. The OSS recruited Gross, who worked for them throughout World War II. By 1941, Gross designed both a ground unit, "Joan," and an airborne unit, "Eleanor," which communicated with each other via Hertzian radio waves in a manner virtually impossible to monitor, even behind enemy lines.

The units had an effective range of about 30 miles. The transceiver of the ground unit weighed only 3 1/2 pounds, with a collapsible antenna, and was powered by two B and two D batteries. It could easily be carried and hidden by a soldier on hostile ground. The airborne unit, carried most often in British "Mosquito" bombers, was more complicated, heavier, and fitted with an adjustable, external antenna to transmit and receive at pre-arranged polarization. Although Gross' Top Secret system was not declassified until 1976, the US Joint Chiefs of Staff have called it one of the most successful wireless intelligence gathering methods ever employed.

After the War, the FCC, which had become aware of Gross' work, allocated the first frequencies for personal radio service, the Citizens Radio Service Frequency Band (1946). Gross formed a company, Citizens Radio Corporation, to produce two-way radios for personal use; in 1948, his companyÿs equipment was the first to receive FCC approval for use in the new "Citizens' Band." Gross sold about 100,000 units himself, most of them to farmers and to the US Coast Guard; he also licensed the technology to various electronics companies.

In 1949, Gross made another breakthrough: he adapted his two-way radios for cordless remote telephonic signaling. That is, he invented and patented the telephone pager, by building discriminating circuitry into a pocket-sized wireless receiver that responded selectively to specific signals. Gross intended for his invention to be used by doctors; and so he attended a medical convention in Philadelphia that year. Nearly all of those healthcare professionals worried the device would upset their patients or even interrupt their golf games. However, New York's Jewish Hospital did implement Gross' pager system the next year (1950).

In the 1950s, Gross tried — again, in vain — to interest US telephone companies in his inventions and ideas for mobile telephony. Bell Telephone was not interested, and other companies were afraid of Bell's monopoly on transmission lines. The FCC, to which Gross had demonstrated his pager system in 1950, finally approved his transceivers in 1958.

Gross continued to invent, earning a total of 12 patents, through the 1950s and '60s. Eventually, he began working for large corporations, such as Sperry and General Electric, as a specialist in microwave and other electronic communications systems. Since 1990, he has been Senior Staff Engineer at Orbital Sciences Corp.'s Chandler, Arizona facility, where he directs analysis of various electromagnetic elements of aerospace, satellite and military systems.

Besides working full-time, Gross also pursues personal projects. But his greatest enthusiasm is for the presentations he frequently gives to local elementary and high school students on technology and invention. Thus, as Gross likes to put it, "People learn from the old guy who did it the hard way."

Gross was too far ahead of his time to cash in on his inventions: his patents expired long before the public was ready for CB radio, cell phones and pagers. But his love of the work outweighs any regrets: he always smiles when he says, "If I still had the patents on my inventions, Bill Gates would have to stand aside for me."

On the other hand, Al Gross has been rich in honors and awards. He has followed up Commendations from the US Defense Department (1969) and President Reagan (1981) with about a dozen awards from national organizations like the IEEE. Most recently, Al Gross won the 2000 Lemelson MIT Lifetime Achievement Award. Gross was honored at the sixth annual Lemelson-MIT Awards Ceremony, held at the American Museum of Natural History in New York on April 27, 2000.

Last edited by Bozo on Tuesday, 17 October 2006, 20:38 PM, edited 5 times in total.

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We encourage all users to support our sponsors. We believe our sponsors are the best out there. Be sure to tell them you saw their name on The CB Radio Talk Forum. Please use our contact us link in the menu if you are ether having registration issues, or need help with logging in. Otherwise please utilize our "Talk to Admin" forum to address your other concerns. Support our fine sponsors!Sign Guestbook

The Walkie Talkie - Al Gross
Canadian, Al Gross invented the walkie-talkie in 1938. In 1948, he pioneered Citizens' Band (CB) radio. In 1949, the very first telephone pager device was patented by Al Gross and used by the Jewish Hospital in New York starting in 1950. These were not consumer units. Al Gross' device did not win FCC approval until 1958.

Another walkie talkie radio was invented by Canadian, Donald L. Hings in 1942.

- Al Gross
Canadian, Al Gross invented the walkie-talkie in 1938. In 1948, he pioneered Citizens' Band (CB) radio. In 1949, the very first telephone pager device was patented by Al Gross and used by the Jewish Hospital in New York starting in 1950. These were not consumer units. Al Gross' device did not win FCC approval until 1958.

Another walkie talkie radio was invented by Canadian, Donald L. Hings in 1942.

THUMPER wrote:wait now you have to guys who invented the The Walkie Talkie

- Al Gross
Canadian, Al Gross invented the walkie-talkie in 1938. In 1948, he pioneered Citizens' Band (CB) radio. In 1949, the very first telephone pager device was patented by Al Gross and used by the Jewish Hospital in New York starting in 1950. These were not consumer units. Al Gross' device did not win FCC approval until 1958.

Another walkie talkie radio was invented by Canadian, Donald L. Hings in 1942.

But Gross created the first one... And tagged the name "walkie talkie"

Donald L. Hings, P.Eng, M.B.E., invented the Walkie-Talkie for the Canadian Military in 1942, which earned him the prestigious Member of British Empire Award for this achievement. Among Hings 23 patents in the field of electronics (internal link) including one for the electronic piano, he also invented the technology used for the DEW Line (Distant Early Warning Line) operated by NORAD (North American Aerospace Defence Command) for over 30 years.

Moran Burke says, "[Donald] Hings came up with many portable 2-way radio designs, both before and during the war. Pre-war designs included compact aircraft-mounted radios, and portable voice sets. The earliest portable voice sets date to 1937. Hings was experimenting with aircraft radio at least as early as 1930.

Don Hings is a modest man, and views the development of mobile communications as a continuous spectrum that did not begin with his inventions. Semi-mobile voice radios (mounted in vehicles), and portable code radios paved the way for the walkie talkie, so his invention did not spring out of nothing. The idea was 'in the air' so to speak, and within a few years portable voice radios had been independently invented several times. Hings' design was definitely one of the most successful, however, judging by its wartime performance and production success.

Saturday, August 18, 2001, was a good day for a good man. Donald L. Hings is an unrecognized but important radio pioneer. He deserves more attention and more credit. Among other things he invented an early walkie talkie. Please visit the website listed in the paragraph below. Mary-Lynn Burke informs me that :

"Donald L. Hings was presented with the Order of Canada by her Excellency, the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, the Governor General, in a private ceremony yesterday at UBC's Museum of Anthropology. There is a wonderful front page photo and story in today's Vancouver Sun. Only dad's four children, two spouses, the nominator and Morgan Burke (who represented the other 15 grandchildren) were in attendance. A small reception followed, and a larger reception for family and friends was held later at dad's home. He left home for the first time in two years, travelling to and from the ceremony in a stretch limo. He enjoyed himself thoroughly and everyone is feeling very happy and grateful that he has been recognized by Canada for his work during the war years. He had received the MBE (Member of the British Empire) immediately following World War II."

"If you would like more details, go to this site to see stories, photos, clippings, etc., from the early days in the development of the walkie-talkie and his other inventions: http://sitka.triumf.ca/morgan/dlhings (official site, link now dead)"